A Brief Holiday
by Xephinetsa
Summary: Lucy, Commander of the Keyguards, decides to take her soldiers on a vacation to the beautiful beaches of Destiny Island, but how long can it last?


biLearn more about the Keyguards at NeoKeyguards on deviantART./i/b

"A vacation, huh?" Xanth glanced up from the book he was reading. "The world doesn't need saving today?"

Azuki laughed softly as he finished packing. "Even the Keyguards need a few days off every once in a while," he said. "Otherwise we'd go crazy." He slung his bag over his shoulder and quickly slipped on some shoes. "Get yourself packed, and I'll see you soon on the beautiful beaches of Destiny Island!"

Xanth watched the younger man disappear through the door and looked back down at his book. "I suppose it will be good to have a break. After all, it's only a short amount of time." He carefully placed a bookmark between the pages and closed the covers over.

Destiny Island was the perfect spot for a vacation. The long white beaches with soft sand and cool, crisp waters were beautiful to behold, and the blue skies were free of clouds as far as the eye could see. There was a pleasant breeze blowing in from the north that kept the temperature in balance. Lucy, Commander of the Keyguards, had chosen it as their destination in the hope that it would give them all a chance to relax and enjoy time away from the day-to-day demands of protecting the light. Xanthium had chosen a spot under the shade of a broad palm tree to sit and continue reading, while the others splashed about in the warm shallows of the ocean.

A short time later, his solitude was disturbed by Azuki, who bounced over and leaned over to observe the book, his messy blonde hair obstructing Xanth's view. "What are you reading?" he asked, frowning as he tried to decipher the upside down words.  
"Kingdom Hearts," he replied, gently pushing Azuki's head out of the way. There was a short pause as Xanth attempted to relocate his sentence, then Azuki spoke again. "Here's an even better question: _why _are you reading?"

"Because I enjoy it."  
"Yes, but... you can read any other time, right? Here we are on the absolutely gorgeous beaches of Destiny Island for some rare down-time together, and you're sitting alone with a _book_."  
He raised an eyebrow at his fellow Keyguard and shrugged. "I'm perfectly content."  
"Too bad! You're going to join in whether you like it or not!"  
"What-"  
He grabbed the book from Xanth's hands and dragged him to his feet, despite meeting resistance. "Come on! They're starting a game of volleyball!"

Xanth participated in their games, reluctantly at first, but soon began to enjoy himself. Some of Azuki's enthusiasm has rubbed off on him and he found that it was quite refreshing to play sport with his comrades and get to know them better. When they were all sweating from the exertion, they broke off and began constructing sandcastles to see who could create the largest. Azuki and Xanth teamed up to take on Fate and Ally, exchanging playful taunts and teasing comments about the appearance of the opposing team's castle.

After a long day in the sun, most of the Keyguards retreated to the sandy dunes to simply lie down and gaze up at the darkening skies above them. Azuki nudged Xanth and asked, "Are you glad that I persuaded you to join in today?"  
"Sure. It was rather fun."  
He laughed. "I knew there was more to you than reading books."

They lay there in companionable silence for a time, before deciding to head over to the small resort Lucy had procured for their stay. As they crested the hill, they noticed a dark shadow fall over their heads, and turned to look back at the way they had come. Small, shadowy creatures were forming on the beach, their bright yellow eyes unblinking in the dull light. "Not again..." Azuki sighed, calling his Keyblade to his hand. Xanth rolled his eyes. "Do we ever truly get a break?"

"I guess not."  
The two exchanged knowing glances, and leapt into battle, Keyblades in hand.

iAzuki is (c) to Kaiju-Borru-Zetto on dA.  
Lucy + Keyguards are (c) to LonnKev on dA.  
Fate is (c) to 21as on dA.  
Ally is (c) to Dealsian-Maverick on dA.

Xanth is (c) to me./i


End file.
